Rockford University’s Spring 2018 Forum Series kicks off its first of nearly a dozen events in January with a series of concerts by RU’s own Orchesis Dance Company and a lecture from one of the most prominent public figures in nursing, Katie Duke.

With the exception of Performing Arts events, the Forum Series is free of charge. Events take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Tickets are required and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

January Events

Rockford University Orchesis Dance Company in Concert 
Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 25-27, 7:30 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center 
In their annual concert, Rockford University’s resident dance company will share ballet, tap and other modern dances ranging from ’40s big band style to contemporary techniques and themes. This year’s concert, titled “7,” will include original choreography by Rockford University faculty Amy A. Wright and Mitchell Stolberg, and guest artist Penna Broman.

Nurse Practitioner Katie Duke 
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center 
Nurse practitioner, frequent media contributor and social media influencer Katie Duke illustrates how we can turn bad decisions into success, losses into lessons, and be proud of our path. Don’t miss one of the most prominent public figures in nursing as she shares her own story of personal and professional journey.

Other highlights of this semester’s Forum Series include lessons on forgiveness from a Holocaust survivor, an appearance by Rockford’s new mayor, a visit from a New York City-based jazz pianist and a musical presented in collaboration with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. View the full lineup at www.Rockford.edu/forum.

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Rockford University’s Spring 2018 Forum Series kicks off its first of nearly a dozen events later this month with a concert by RU’s own Orchesis Dance Company. This semester’s highlights include lessons on forgiveness from a Holocaust survivor, an appearance by Rockford’s new mayor, a visit from a New York City-based jazz pianist and a musical presented in collaboration with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.

Forums are open to the public and, with the exception of Performing Arts events, are free of charge. Lectures and performances will take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Tickets are required and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Spring 2018 Lineup

Rockford University Orchesis Dance Company in Concert
Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 25-27, 7:30 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
In their annual concert, Rockford University’s resident dance company will share modern, ballet, tap, and jazz dances ranging from ‘40s big band style to contemporary techniques and themes. This year’s concert will include original choreography by Profs. Amy A. Wright and Mitchell Stolberg, and guest artist Penna Broman.

Nurse Practitioner Katie Duke
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Nurse practitioner, media consultant, and social media influencer Katie Duke illustrates how we can turn bad decisions into success, losses into lessons, and be proud of our path. Don’t miss one of the most prominent public figures in nursing as she shares her own story of personal and professional journey.

Not Your Typical Sex talk: Justine Shuey
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 3 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Dr. Justine Marie Shuey of Philadelphia shares a hilarious, honest, no-holds-barred approach to sexuality education that uses puppets, props, interactive activities and audience participation to address misinformation head-on while enhancing sexual awareness. You will leave educated, informed, and empowered to take charge of your sexuality in safe, appropriate ways. Dr. Shuey has a Ph.D. in human sexuality and is working on a second doctorate degree.

The Surprising Effect of Stories on Sane (and Crazy) People: Jacquelyn Mitchard, ’73
Thursday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m.
Severson Auditorium, Scarborough Hall
The thing that authors want most is connection, which is the whole reason they write stories. The New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard recounts some of the most moving, and scary, stories about the way readers feel about her stories. A Chicago native and graduate of Rockford College (now Rockford University), Mitchard is a professor of creative writing in Miami University of Ohio’s low-residency Masters of Fine Arts program, and lives on Cape Cod with her husband and their nine children. She was the first author to be featured in Oprah’s Book Club.

Play: Richard III
Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 22-24, 7:30 p.m.,
and Sunday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
King Edward is on the throne, England is at peace, and all is well. But don’t worry – it won’t be that way for long because Richard is “discontented.” Gripping and outrageous, Shakespeare’s Richard III is the tale of a ruthless, power-crazed Machiavellian who lies and cheats his way to the highest seat in the land through charm, deception, and force of presence.

Charter Day
Monday, Feb. 26, 4 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
This year’s Charter Day welcomes Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara as special speaker and commemorates the 171st anniversary of the signing of the charter for Rockford University. The annual event typically includes an academic procession of faculty in traditional robes depicting their rank, with stoles representing their respective alma maters and degrees.

Fascinating Algorithms: Pianist Dan Tepfer
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 3 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
New York City-based jazz pianist Dan Tepfer will discuss the intersection of science and art in music, in particular the balance of intuition and emotion with the mathematical and algorithmic. At a more personal level, he will talk about how, as a performer and composer, he has opened up new avenues of creativity in his work by integrating mathematical structures, from simple processes to fractals, into his music.

Transgender and Immigrant Rights in the Fight for Liberations: Jennicet Gutiérrez
Wednesday, March 21, 3 p.m.
Regents Hall, Burpee Student Center
Jennicet Gutiérrez, best known for shedding light on the plight of transgender women in immigration detention centers through her organization FAMILIA: TQLM (Trans Queer Liberation Movement), is a transgender activist from México who resides in Los Angeles. She burst onto the national scene in the summer of 2015, when she interrupted President Obama during a speech in honor of Pride month to call attention to the struggles of transgender immigrant women. Gutiérrez believes in the importance of uplifting and centering the voices of trans women of color in all racial justice work.

Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor
Tuesday, April 10, 7 p.m.
Fisher Memorial Chapel
Recipient of the 2017 Sachem award, the highest honor in the state of Indiana, Eva Mozes Kor is a survivor of the Holocaust, a forgiveness advocate, and a revered public speaker. With the driving message of “never give up” in mind, she has emerged through a life filled with trauma as a brilliant example of the power of the human spirit to overcome. Kor’s account illustrates the dangers of hate and the consequences of allowing prejudice to persist, unchecked, in others.

Musical: Candide
Thursday-Saturday, April 19-21, 7:30 p.m.,
and Sunday, April 22, 2 p.m.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the renowned American composer Leonard Bernstein, the Performing Arts Department and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra will partner to present the musical Candide. The satirical novella was written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, and tells a comic tale of a young man’s journey from idealism to wisdom.

Bringing Civic Engagement into the Science Classroom: Karen Kashmanian Oates
Tuesday, April 24, 12 p.m.
Fisher Memorial Chapel
Nationally recognized consultant, scientist, science educator, and higher education leader Dr. Karen Kashmanian Oates discusses how the power of science for our democracy has required us to shift from an inert learning environment to one that actively engages students.

Rockford, IL (12/21/2017) — A Rockford University professor has published more research on the use of light therapy as a less toxic alternative to more traditional and often invasive treatments for prostate cancer.

Associate Professor of Biology Troy Skwor, Ph.D., co-authored “Photodynamic therapy using pheophorbide and 670 nm LEDs exhibits anti-cancer effects in-vitro in androgen dependent prostate cancer” in the November issue of the international journal Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy. The article is a continuation of Dr. Skwor’s collaboration with researchers from the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, including Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences Gnanasekar Munirathinam, Ph.D., and then-graduate student Taher Gheewala, M.S. Gheewala is now a research specialist in the Department of Surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The group previously published a review article on photodynamic treatments for prostate cancer in the peer-reviewed medical journal Oncotarget in May.

“I was lucky to find an expert in prostate cancer biology here in Rockford, Dr. Munirathinam, who was devoted to understanding the methods associated with cancer development as well as finding more natural methods of fighting it,” Dr. Skwor said. “When I mentioned photodynamic therapy to him, he gladly welcomed the collaboration, and the project took off and continues to develop. The proximity of University of Illinois College of Medicine to Rockford University has resulted in multiple collaborations as well as numerous internships for RU students with their faculty.”

Dr. Munirathinam agrees that the connection between the two Rockford educational institutions is beneficial and also credits a local sponsor, Brovember Inc., for the research funding: “The Rockford-based group Brovember Inc. hosts a number of events throughout the year, and the proceeds go to fund prostate cancer research such as this.”

Dr. Skwor focuses much of his research on photodynamic therapy, which involves the use of chemicals known as photosensitizers that become active in the presence of light to create reactive oxygen molecules capable of killing several types of cancer cells and antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. He has studied the treatment’s effectiveness against numerous bacteria-including MRSA and E. coli-as well as melanoma and prostate cancer.

In their most recent article, Dr. Skwor and his University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford colleagues evaluate the effects of using the natural compound known as “pheophorbide” -a breakdown product of chlorophyll-to kill prostate cancer cells in the presence of a type of red light. Their findings continue to point toward photodynamic therapy as an effective treatment for cancer, capable of killing affected cells and inhibiting further migration of the disease.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the third leading cause of death and second most common cancer diagnosis for American men, with one in seven diagnosed with it in their lifetime. While surgery, hormone therapy and radiation remain the primary treatments, Dr. Skwor and his collaborators have focused on studies elaborating on the effects of alternative and more targeted methods like photodynamic therapy. The treatment, which is clinically approved, is minimally invasive with fewer side effects, and can be organ-sparing for patients.

“Prostate cancer will basically affect most men if they live long enough,” Dr. Skwor explained. “Photodynamic therapy serves two benefits for prostate cancer: a less invasive and perhaps more reliable method of detection compared to tests of prostate specific antigen levels, and a method to kill cancer cells.”

Dr. Skwor has given research seminars on photodynamic therapy at the Rockford and Chicago campuses of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in the past year, and presented his findings at this summer’s International Photodynamic Association World Congress in Portugal with RU Assistant Professor of Chemistry Matthew Bork, Ph.D., student Hailey Avery and alumnus Brandon Leviskas. He previously published a research article on using photodynamic therapy to kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli with Bork and several current and former RU students in the December 2016 issue of the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, B: Biology.

For an interview request or more information, please contact Rockford University Advancement Communications Specialist Jeniece Smith at 815-394-5041 or communications@rockford.edu.

Rockford University is a four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The University offers approximately 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including the adult accelerated degree completion program for a B.S. in Management Studies. Through its Graduate Studies department, degrees are extended to include the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Master of Urban Education.

Rockford University is home to one of only 11 Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) chapters in Illinois, the most prestigious honor society in the United States. RU is ranked as a Best Regional University – Midwest Tier One by US News & World Report and was named by the Princeton Review as a Best in the Midwest institution. The University currently serves approximately 1,300 full-and part-time students.

We invite all to view this special message of gratitude from Rockford University. Happy Thanksgiving. 

Registration for the spring 2018 semester for undergraduate and graduate programs is now open. More information about the free application process is available on the university’s Apply Now page. Interested students are also encouraged to contact the Admission Office to speak with and admissions counselor to learn more about scholarship opportunities, the financial aid process, and registration options. The spring 2018 semester begins on January 16, 2018.

Rockford University is a four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields like Nursing, Business, Performing Arts and Education. We offer approximately 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including the adult accelerated degree completion program for a B.S. in Management Studies. Through our Graduate Studies department, degrees are extended to include the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT).

In addition to our degree programs, Rockford University also offers the following programs:

• Center for Learning Strategies (formerly RCLC)—Learning center offering both remedial and enrichment programs for children, teenagers, and adults.
• English as a Second Language (ESL)—Programming includes listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar components for preparation of the TOEFL test.

Rockford University is home to one of only 11 Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) chapters in Illinois, the most prestigious honor society in the United States. Named by The Princeton Review as a Best Midwestern College and as a 2018 Best Midwest Regional University by U.S. News and World Report, we currently serve approximately 1,260 full-and part-time students. Our mission is to educate men and women to lead responsible lives by means of a curriculum grounded in liberal arts learning and complemented and extended by professional and practical experience.

As an NCAA Division III institution, the university offers 14 intercollegiate varsity teams along with several junior varsity teams and participates in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Approximately 25 percent of the university’s students participate in at least one intercollegiate sport. For more about Regent Athletics, visit goregents.com.

Rockford University senior Malcolm Engelbrecht (Loves Park, Ill.) has been named as a 2017 Lincoln Laureate by The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Each year, the annual Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Ceremony recognizes excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities by seniors from each of the state’s four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities, and one student from the community colleges in Illinois. This year’s ceremony took place Saturday, November 11, in Springfield. President Eric Fulcomer, Ph.D., accompanied Engelbrecht for the ceremony.

The Lincoln Academy has been granting the award for 43 years. Governor Bruce Rauner, the President of the Lincoln Academy, and First Lady Diana Rauner presented each student with a certificate of merit, a Lincoln medallion and a $1,000 check from the Lincoln Academy.

Malcolm attended Belvidere High School and will graduate from Rockford University in 2018 with a major in Organismal Biology and a minor in Chemistry. After completing his degree, he plans to attend medical school at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences where he will be trained to be a leader in the U.S Navy’s health services.

Malcolm currently serves as the president of the pre-health and science club, helping to connect his fellow students with community service opportunities through-out the Rockford region. He has also served his community as an Emergency Medical Technician for the past three years. He is a recipient of the American Chemical Society Organic Chemistry Award for showing exceptional understanding of fundamental Organic mechanisms; a Dean’s and Distinguished scholar, and has been named a Rock-Solid Regent in October of 2016 as recognition for his positive accomplishments at Rockford University.

President Eric W. Fulcomer, Ph.D., has shared the following message with the Rockford University campus community regarding the tragic events that took place near the University’s campus in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 5. Rockford University was put on lock down for approximately six hours following an incident on Dawn Avenue and that resulted in the death of Rockford Police Officer Jaimie Cox and another individual, Mr. Eddie Patterson. More information regarding the ongoing investigation can be found on the Rockford Police Department’s Facebook page.

Dear Rockford University Community, 

I extend my personal thanks to the Rockford University community for your patience and forbearance during the overnight lock down of campus.  As I write this, many of the details regarding the deaths of Rockford Police Officer Jaimie Cox and Mr. Eddie Patterson are still unknown. 

Due to the close proximity of the events to campus, the University was put on lock down immediately following the incident. We instituted protocols spelled out in our Emergency Response Policy to ensure the safety of our campus community. Thankfully, there were no further actions required and the lock down was lifted at approximately 7:30 a.m.  I am grateful to the Rockford Police and surrounding departments, the Rockford University Department of Police and Public Safety,  and our residence life staff for collectively ensuring the safety of our campus community during the lock down.

We will learn more about the incident as the Winnebago-Boone County Integrity Task Force conducts its investigation.  In the meantime, I invite your prayers for the families of Officer Cox and Mr. Patterson.

If there are additional pertinent details, we will communicate to you through periodic email messages and posts to the University portal.  

Sincerely, 
Eric W. Fulcomer, Ph.D.
President

Rockford University will host a free screening of “The Monster Within,” a documentary produced by the Harlem High School Veteran Project, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Clark Arts Center’s Maddox Theatre.

The film, which was shown at the acclaimed Beloit International Film Festival this year, focuses on the post-war struggles that American veterans Alex Feggestad and James Thew faced when returning to home to the states after deployment. Students and teachers at the Machesney Park high school have been telling the stories of American Veterans and uncovering the realities of war through the Harlem Veteran Project since 2012.

A Q&A with the filmmakers and featured veterans will follow the screening. In addition, two teacher panelists will address the use of oral histories in the classroom. This public event, made possible by funding from the Library of Congress, will be held on the Rockford University campus at 5050 East State Street in Rockford.

For more information, please contact Visiting Assistant Professor Colleen M. Kennedy, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, at CKennedy@rockford.edu or 815-226-4115

The Rockford University Regents ushered in a new chapter on Tuesday afternoon with the official unveiling of a new athletic logo suite. It has been over a decade since Rockford refreshed its athletic look and identity, and Tuesday marks an exciting time to be a part of a new era of RU Athletics. 

“Today is a very exciting day because I believe this is a critical step in not only honoring our rich athletic tradition but also reestablishing and defining who we are and who we aspire to be,” Jason Mulligan RU Director of Athletics stated. “What we have done is create a new unifying graphic identity that provides a consistent and modern look that keeps us relevant and memorable.”

RU Athletics worked with nationally known and recognized design firm Rickabaugh Graphics to create the Regents’ new sleek and modern identity. Rickabaugh Graphics has created branded materials for other high-profile institutions such as: The Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, The University of Iowa, the NFL, the NBA and many more. 

“We feel extremely honored to have been asked to create the new graphic image for the Rockford University Regents,” Eric Rickabaugh founder of Rickabaugh Graphics stated. “Rockford University has a strong commitment to excellence and it was important that the university’s athletic image match that same commitment. The redesign process was a careful and conscientious undertaking led by Rockford Athletics, and we believe that the new logos capture the energy, pride and dedication that are propelling Rockford University towards a very promising future.

-more at Go.Regents.com –